Archuleta Talks Clay, Crushes and Cook

'American Idol' runner-up David Archuleta has been an awfully busy guy. Fresh off the 'Idol' tour, the 17-year-old singer has released his first single and video ('Crush'), filmed a guest spot on the television show 'iCarly' and got the golden ticket of an invite to Miley Cyrus' recent Disneyland Sweet 16. As if that weren't enough, Archuleta is putting the final touches on his debut album. Archuleta took a break from recording to talk to PopEater about his career plans, Clay Aiken, crazy fans and more.

Many 'American Idol' alums have gone on to have bountiful careers. Is there one in particular you aspire to have?Jordin [Sparks] -- her being my age -- I really look up to her. I think her journey's been the most similar to mine. She's an amazing singer, and her style ... she understood that she was young and didn't have to run with a certain type of music so quickly. She allowed herself to have some space, some growing. That's really cool of her.

What do you have planned as far as your album is concerned?
What we've been trying to do is keep a nice mixture of songs, so I don't limit myself too much. It had to be done so quickly. People can take a year sometimes, just working on songs and thinking, "OK, what direction do I want to go on this album?" I knew had a few months, and those months were taken up doing a tour, so it was interesting trying to juggle both of those things at once. When I'd have a day off, I'd go record. But I don't want to keep myself limited with this album.

Have you heard from your former 'Idol' competition, David Cook, about your
single, 'Crush'?
He liked it. He was like, "Your single sounds awesome." He sent me a text when he first heard it. On tour, everyone would be singing it, joking around. I was just like, [laughs] "Stop!"

What do you think of David Cook's new single, 'Light On'?
I love it! He played us a few songs during tour and it sounded so good. I bought it the first day [it was released]. I'm a big fan of Cook. He's been a really great guy through this whole thing. He's always looked after me on tour and on the show, and he's always giving great advice.

Who was your first celebrity or real-life crush?
I've always been kind of weird about the celebrity thing because it's like, how do you like someone who you've never met? It's just kind of weird for me. But I guess people feel like they get to know their celebrity crushes. I know there are a lot of fans that feel that way with me! [laughs] It's so weird how people can get with that kind of stuff. I've always felt like I was too young. It's like, "You're not old enough to have a girlfriend." But lately, it's been about getting to know the person. There are some people who I definitely want to get to know better.

David Archuleta arrives at Miley Cyrus&#39; "Sweet 16" birthday celebration benefiting Youth Service America at Disneyland on October 5, 2008 in Anaheim, California.

Kevin Winter, Getty Images

American Idol finalist David Archuleta, of Murray, Utah, is surrounded at The Gateway shopping mall in Salt Lake City, Utah, Friday May 9, 2008. The three finalists traveled back to their homes for a reunion with their hometown fans for a segment on the reality television show.

Laura Seitz, Deseret News / AP

American Idol Finalist David Archuleta and American Idol Winner David Cook get a piggyback ride from Z100 DJ Greg T of The Elvis Duran Monring Show to raise money for Rainbows.org on NBC&#39;s "Today" at Rockefeller Center in New York on May 29, 2008

Jamie McCarthy, WireImage

David Archuleta performs during the American Idols Live! Tour 2008 at the Conseco Fieldhouse on July 22, 2008 in Indianapolis.

Joey Foley, FilmMagic

Singer and American Idol 2008 Winner David Cook and Singer and American Idol runner-up David Archuleta attend a taping of MTV&#39;s TRL on May 29, 2008 in New York City

Jemal Countess, WireImage

An image of American Idol television star David Archuleta titled "Archuleta 4 President" provides the design for the 13th Annual Cornbelly&#39;s Corn Maze and Pumpkin Fest at Thanksgiving Point on Wednesday, Sept. 24, 2008, in Lehi, Utah. The site opens to the public Friday.

Douglas C. Pizac, AP

American Idol contestant David Archuleta, and his father, Jeff Archuleta, celebrate before a performance at David&#39;s high school Friday, May 9, 2008, in Murray, Utah.

Kenny Crookston, AP

American Idol David Archuleta arrives at the world premiere of Disney-Pixar&#39;s film Wall-E held at the Greek Theater on June 21, 2008 in Los Angeles, California.

Alberto E. Rodriguez, Getty

Contestant David Archuleta performs "Imagine" during live show of American Idol May 20, 2008 at the Nokia Theater in Los Angeles, California. The top 2 contestants perform in front of the American Idol judges airs May 20, 2008

F Micelotta/American Idol 2008, Getty

AMERICAN IDOL: David Archuleta performs on Tuesday, May 6 2008

Frank Micelotta/FOX, Getty

Have you ever read any of the fan fiction stories written about you?
I've actually never gone on the message boards. I've always thought it was good to stay away from that kind of stuff. Like, I read my comments on MySpace and the voice messages and the blog comments, but that's as far as I'll go. I'm a little scared.

What was your reaction to fellow 'Idol' Clay Aiken's decision to come out?
I didn't really think about it a whole lot. Entertainment stuff bugs me so much -- they're just so interested in other people's lives. Whatever, it's his life. You have to respect ... how he lives.

In the corn maze that's based on you in Utah, they cut 'Archuleta 4 President.' If you were President, what would you do?
Try and change those poor areas in America. We're always thinking, "Oh, the third world countries," but there's some areas in our country where it's really sad. I don't think a lot of Americans realize what's really going on. It'd be kind of cool to help fix up those areas -- help some of our people who aren't getting a lot of recognition to live better lives.

If you were old enough to vote, who would you vote for in the upcoming presidential election?
I haven't done a lot of studying on that just because I'm not old enough, and especially since I've been working on the album during all the debates. So I don't really know a whole lot. I just hear about all the YouTube Sarah Palin stuff. I feel bad for her.

Given your age. do you plan on going to your high school prom?
Well, at my school it's a junior prom, and I'm a senior. But they have senior ball at my school. I kind of missed the whole prom experience, but that's fine. I mean, it's like, would I rather be at prom or would I rather be on ['American Idol']?

What's the first thing you'd do if you could travel without parental supervision?
With the 'American Idol' experience, I had to have a guardian. It was like the rules for a minor to have a guardian with you all the time. Now that the show's over, I pretty much can do whatever. I guess [I'd do] the same stuff as now. [My parents] are pretty easy-going. They've never been really strict on me, but they still helped raise me to who I am. They trust me to do whatever I want because it's not like I'm gonna go do weird, absurd, crazy things.

Do you speak Spanish well, and would you consider making a Spanish
language record?
Oh, yeah. With my grandma -- who doesn't speak a whole lot of English -- I speak Spanish to her. I'm not the greatest person at the world at speaking that, and sometimes I have issues understanding. But when I was little, it was my first language. When I moved to Utah, I kind of forgot everything. I've actually definitely considered doing a Spanish album just because it's been so much a part of my life, even musically. My mom always played salsa and merengue. It'd just be really cool to give back to that part of my culture because they've done so much for me.

What is your biggest fear?
Responsibility, I guess, because [fans] are just wanting you to do your best. You want to do your best for them and also for your family. I just don't want to let them down. That's one of my biggest fears -- to disappoint people. But there will always be someone who'll be disappointed in whatever you do. Phobias ... I don't like needles. It's something I definitely could get over, but I just hate them.

You have quite the future ahead of you. Is college part of that journey?
College would be really important if things kind of slowed down for me. I'd always want to do music, but if music doesn't work out, you definitely need education as a back up. Music careers don't usually last forever. Something I've always been interested in is the ear, nose [and] throat doctor thing, just because it'd be cool to help people who've had problems with their voice. I've had a lot of problems with my voice in the past. It's a lot of schooling, but it's something I've found interest in. When you're 17 it's not like, "This is what my life is." You're still trying to figure it out, as a person.